Foot treating device



L. B. TRIPLETT 2,567,625

FOOT TREATING DEVICE Sept. 11, 1951 Filed June 24, 1949 51, wT-Ja INVENTOR loll/s BALL 7k/Pu7r, DELt'A6t'0 5r Ha MA. TkIPLE EXa'I/rR/x 4. ATTORN YS Patented Sept. 11,1951

FOOT TREATING DEVICE Louis Ball Triplett, deceased, late of Pasadena,

Calif., by Helen A. Triplett, executrix, Coronado, Calif., assignor to Helen A. Triplett, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Application June 24, 1949, Serial No. 101,102

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to an improved device for flexing, exercising and massaging the human foot, for the purpose of adjusting the joints and bones thereof into proper and normal relative positions, relaxing the muscles and consequently resting the foot, reestablishing circulation of blood so as to overcome the effects of stairs. The present invention is in the nature of an improvement of the device shown in prior Patent 2,187,920, issued January 23, 1940, to the inventor of the present improvement.

The object of the present invention is to provide a structure which, while achieving the purposes and retaining the advantages of the structure shown in the above-mentioned patent, will provide a better distribution of the flexing action through the foot structure, provide a better control over the exercising procedure by the user and afford a wider range of foot manipulations.

These and other and further objects and advantages will be made apparent in the following specification and claim.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is a generally perspective view showing a foot exercising device embodying the improvements of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view substantially on line 3-3 of Fig.1; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view showing the manner of using the device.

Referring to the drawing, the device is illustrated as comprisin a U-shaped base member I which includes a transverse floor engaging portion 2, and slide members 3, the forward ends of the latter being bent downwardly and provided with rubber or fibre floor engaging tips as at 4. By this arrangement the base member is inclined upwardly as is clearly shown in Fig. 4.

The side members 3 support the ends of a transverse platform member 5 the ends of which are bent around the members 3, as indicated at 6, to secure member 5 in place. A plate mem-- her I is riveted, or otherwise secured, to member 5 as at 8. A generally U-shaped frame 9, com

prising a transverse portion In and upwardly extending arms II, is pivotally secured to the rear edge of plate I by means of a tongue l2 extending from the rear edge of the plate and bent around portion ID of the frame, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The arms I I include upwardly -and forwardly inclined portions l3 and forwardly extending portions M. An arcuate bridge member I5 has its ends [6 bent around the frame portions I4 and the inner face of the bridge is provided with a foot engaging member I! which is formed of felt, sponge rubber or other yielding material. V

The arms II are normally held in a plane substantially at right angles to the plane of members 3 by means of springs l8, each encircling a portion I0 of the frame and having one end anchored in plate 1, as at 19, the other end being bent around one of the arms II as indicated at 20. wardly, or clockwise as viewed in Figs. 1 and 4 and such movement is limited by the engagement of the arms II with a stop member 2i which is bent upwardly from the rear edge of transverse member 5. a

A second U-shaped frame 22, which includes a transverse portion 23 and arms 24, is pivotally connected at the forward edge of plate 1 bya tongue 25 extending therefrom and bent over the portion 23 of the frame 22. The arms 24 extend through openings 26 in a transverse member 21 slidably mounted at its ends on portions I3 of frame 9.

Above member 21 a plate 28 is secured to the ends of arms 24 as by nuts 29. A block 30 is secured to plate 28, or by screws 3|, and an elongated relatively narrow soft resilient foot engaging pad 32, preferably of sponge rubber, covered with a strip of leather 33, is cemented to block 3 I.

In the use of the device, it is normally rested upon the floor and the foot to be treated is placed as shown in Fig. 4, and the front part of the foot, such as the toes, or the toes and the metatarsal joints, are passed under the bridge I5. The arch of the foot is brought into engagement with the arch engaging pad 32 at a position where upward pressure is desired, the foot is then shifted forward, or in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 4, to swing the bridge l5 toward the position indicated by the dotted lines in the latter figure and to swing the arch engaging pad to the position also indicated by dotted lines. Owing to the fact that the pad 32 swings on an are generated around the pivot means 23-25, and the bridge l5 moves along an arc, generated around the pivot means Ill-l2, the bridge I5 will move downward relative to the arch engaging pad 32, or conversely the arch engaging pad 32 may be considered as having an upward movement relative to the bridge I5. As a result the arch engaging pad 32 presses upward against the bottom of the foot and the bridge presses downwardly against the upper forward part of the foot, thereby convexly flex- Springs I8 tend to swing the frame 9 rear ing the arch of the foot. In proceeding with this treatment, the foot may be shifted from one side to the other and may be moved forwardly and rearwardly relative to the foot engaging parts, so that the scope of the treatment may be distributed over a relatively large area, thereby accomplishing complete manipulation massaging effect and. exercising of the foot structure.

By forming the arch engaging pad 32 in transversely elongated arcuate shape with the end portions sloping downwardly from the center, additional and advantageous manipulation of the foot is made possible as compared with the arrangement of Patent 2,187,920 above=mentioned. When the parts are rocked forward with the foot in normal upright position the flexing action is distributed more uniformly and effectively across the foot structure. Furthermore the foot can be turned on the pad 32 with one side portion of the foot finding support on the adjacent end portion of the pad as a pivot, as shown diagrammatically in dotted lines a and b in Fig. 5. Depending on whether the foot is held in one twisted position throughout the forward and downward motion of the apparatus, is twisted to one side simultaneouslywith the forward movement of the ap paratus, or is rolled from one side to the other as the apparatus swings forward, a difierent novel manipulation of the foot is obtained. In all of the manipulations with this improved device the underside of the foot has a degree of support that asserts a controlled but varying degree of reaction against the arch member is which is not afiorded by the prior device in which the reaction is concentrated along the medial line of the foot.

Furthermore in the present device the rearward inclination of the base member by the downward bending of the tipped portions l provides a more efficient initial position of the foot and a more eifective arcuate movement without interfering with the relative positions of the members I5 and 32.

What is claimed is:

In a foot treating device which comprises, in combination, an elongated padded member for transversely engaging the bottom of the arch portion of the foot, and a generally arcuate bridge member positioned to engage the upper portion of a foot forwardly of the arch engaging padded member, said padded member and said bridge member being mounted for pivotal movemerit about eccentric centers, said padded mem- HELEN A. TRIPLETT, Ezecutrir of the Estate 0 Louis Ball Triplett,

Deceased.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,989,899 Vance Feb. 5, 1935 1,998,614 Davis Apr. 2, 1935 2,030,358 Dorrance Feb. 11, 1936 2,187,920 Triplett Jan. 23, 1940 2,282,307 Davis May 12, 1942 

